Explaining the variation in ¹³⁷Cs aggregated transfer factor for wild edible plants as a case study on Koshiabura...

The aggregated transfer factor (T_ag) is commonly used to represent the actual transfer of radiocesium from soil to wild edible plants, but the values have shown substantial variation since the Fukushima nuclear accident. To elucidate the factors causing this variation, we investigated the effects of spatial scale and vertical ¹³⁷Cs distribution in the soil on the variation of T_ag-¹³⁷Cs values for one of the most severely contaminated wild edible plants, Eleutherococcus sciadophylloides Franch. et Sav. (Koshiabura). The variation in T_ag-¹³⁷Cs values was not reduced by direct measurement of ¹³⁷Cs deposition in soil samples from the Koshiabura habitat, as a substitute for using spatially averaged airborne survey data at the administrative district scale. The ¹³⁷Cs activity concentration in Koshiabura buds showed a significant positive correlation with the ¹³⁷Cs inventories only in the organic horizon of soil from the Koshiabura habitat. The ratio of ¹³⁷Cs inventories in the organic horizon to the total ¹³⁷Cs deposition in soil exhibited substantial variation, especially in broad-leaved deciduous forests that Koshiabura primarily inhabits. This variation may be the cause of the wide range of T_ag-¹³⁷Cs values observed in Koshiabura buds when calculated from the total ¹³⁷Cs deposition in soil.